Chapter 8
Secrets And Dragons
Nash let the information he’d learned swirl around in his head while he and Olivia watched Gray cook.
The man was a genius. He didn’t even use tomatoes from a can to make sauce.
Hell, Nash mainly bought prepared sauce in jars.
Not sure he’d be telling Claus that. Charlie would probably spill his secrets soon enough.
Like Olivia had spilled some of hers.
What an amazing woman. She’d adopted her friend’s daughter and left the city where she lived to keep the girl safe.
She hadn’t given details, although she’d let the bastard’s first name slip. Adam.
He’d listen for more details. Where had they lived? The way she’d said the city made her sound like a native New Yorker. Was that where she was from? Her accent was faint, but it did sound like that to Nash.
Was Vermont far enough from this Adam? How determined would he be to get Ella? He didn’t sound like the kind of man who wanted to be a father. But a man with an obsession was more about owning and having. Not about caring and nurturing.
There was no way this asshole was getting anywhere near that precious little girl.
He wondered what other layers of protection Olivia had put in place for the two of them.
Her car had to be a decade old. Had she bought it new so that Adam couldn’t trace her?
Maybe she’d traded in her old car. Or, if his New York guess was accurate, she might not have owned a vehicle at all.
Hopefully, she’d changed the license plates if she’d always owned the Focus.
Things to ask at some point when they were alone.
He wanted more time alone with her, not just to find out the information he needed to keep the two of them safe but to learn more about her.
And to sneak in a kiss or two.
Is that okay, Charlotte?
He figured she’d approve of Olivia with her protective nature and love for a child who wasn’t her own. Would she approve of Nash being ready to think of her romantically? He’d never know.
Olivia’s phone buzzed with a text, and she snatched it before the notification sound finished. Her face relaxed as she read. “It’s Charlie. Ella Mae is waking up.”
They were out of their chairs before she finished the words. He caught Gray grinning at them as they left the room.
They could hear Charlie’s voice as they climbed the stairs. Ella babbled back, and Charlie laughed.
When they entered the room, the sight grabbed Nash by the throat and squeezed. Charlie sat with the little girl on his lap, snuggling into his chest. She smiled, trusting him to keep her safe.
Olivia’s eyes misted at the sight, and she smiled. “Did you have a good nap, Ella Mae? Did you expect to wake up in Charlie’s room?”
Ella grinned at Olivia, but continued to rest against Charlie, not fully awake. From the look on his son’s face, he was enjoying the contact. There wasn’t much better in the world than snuggling with a contented little one.
Nash had never thought much about having another child. The terror and pain of losing Charlotte in childbirth had destroyed that part of him.
Or so he’d thought.
But seeing these two together had him imagining it full-time. Imagining another little one added to the mix.
He took a moment to rein in his imagination. Olivia sat on the bed beside Charlie and rubbed her hand over Ella’s hair and back. “You’re sure content, so that must have been a good nap. Thanks for taking such good care of her, Charlie.”
“It was fun. She’s cute when she sleeps. I thought she might be scared to wake up in a new place, but she wasn’t. I talked to her, and she just crawled up for a hug.”
Charlie’s face beamed with delight, making Nash chuckle. “Great job, bud. She feels safe with you.”
Charlie nodded and hugged her gently. “When you wake up a little more, do you want to see my dragons, Ella?”
At the word dragon, Ella sat up tall and looked around. Olivia rubbed her back again. “It’s okay, sweetie. Your dragon is safe in the car, having a nap like you.”
Her lips turned into a pout, and panic covered Charlie’s face. “I didn’t mean to make her cry.”
Olivia laughed. “You didn’t. Why don’t you grab some of your dragons to distract her?”
Olivia lifted the girl, and Charlie scrambled off the bed. He grabbed a tub from the corner and snapped off the lid. “These are my LEGO dragons. I built them. Wait, the pieces are too small for you. But you can look at the whole dragon. I’ve got more.”
Ella’s pout disappeared as she watched Charlie hustle around the room. Nash grinned as Charlie pulled out another tub with plastic dinosaurs and dragons. He hadn’t played with them for a while, but he and Maribel had spent hours with those toys over the years—lots of happy memories there.
Charlie looked into his closet with a frown. “I don’t have any stuffed dragons, but you can cuddle with Carino.”
He sat on the bed and handed Ella his precious bear. “My mom bought her for me before she died. Carino’s good at cuddling.”
Nash had to suck back the emotion at Charlie’s words. Man, he loved his kid.
Oblivious to the emotions running through Nash, Charlie opened the tub and pulled out a blue plastic dragon.
Ella squealed and reached for it with the hand not clutching Carino. She held it up and babbled. Charlie nodded. “Yep, that’s a blue one. Can you find another one?”
Ella reached into the tub, pulled out a brontosaurus, and held it up to Charlie, waiting for his explanation of the toy.
Soon, the kids and Olivia were surrounded by dragons and dinosaurs on the bed. Ella bounced one on Olivia’s leg and squealed.
Olivia patted her hair. “You want a story about the dragon? Maybe Charlie can make one up for you.”
Charlie grinned. “I’ll start. Then you and Dad can take turns.”
It was a game he and his son had played from an early age. Probably a way for his kid to stretch out bedtime, but they’d had many happy hours making up stories.
Charlie drew in a deep breath. “Once upon a time in the land of Norissamin, there was a purple dragon who wasn’t very old. Her name was Zina, and she wanted to help her family be safe.”
Charlie looked to Nash to continue. He knew the land of Norissamin was from the books they’d discussed earlier, one of Charlie’s favorite series.
“Zina was old enough to fly alone and she had plans. She wanted to fly around the mountain. Lelja had done it when she was only eight turns old. It couldn’t be that hard. ”
He turned to Olivia, hoping she would jump in and not feel uncomfortable with the storytelling fun.
Olivia’s eyes were wide and her mouth slightly open. In a moment, she blinked and smiled. “Zina loved Samin mountain and couldn’t wait to prove she was just as strong as Lelja, even if she was only five turns old. Maybe she’d find her own brucan to befriend.”
Charlie bounced on the bed and grinned at her.
“You know about Norissamin. That’s amazing.
It’s my favorite series. Have you read both books?
The third one is going to be out in a couple of days.
I’ve preordered the ebook and asked for the hardcover for Christmas.
And there’s a book four coming too, but I don’t know the title yet. I can’t wait.”
Olivia’s skin flushed, and Nash clued in. Olivia Gonzalez. Livie Sanchez. Olivia and Livie. He’d never asked Olivia what she did for a living. Was she the author?
She smiled at his bright-eyed son and Nash figured he was right. “Livie?”
She turned to him automatically at the name, and he was sure he was right. The only question was whether it was safe for anyone else to know about her identity.
If this Adam jerk knew it, no one else should know, and Nash should have kept his mouth shut. But Olivia didn’t look scared. Maybe he was wrong or overreacting. He probably shouldn’t have said anything because it was too late to put the cat back in the bag.
Charlie gasped. “Livie. Olivia. Is that a coincidence? Are you Livie Sanchez?”
Nash watched Olivia carefully. Was she okay with this, or had they just made everything worse? He was relieved when she smiled.
“You’re a smart one, Charlie. Yes, I write books under the name Livie Sanchez.”
“That’s so cool. Cool times a million. Dad, she writes my favorite books. Olivia’s the author. For real.”
Nash chuckled as he leaned against the dresser. “I got that. Pretty cool for sure.”
Charlie nodded. “How did you come up with Norissamin? And the brucans. Lots of people know about dragons, but you came up with brucans. Did you know that there are people online who draw their versions of brucans and your dragons? I like how they get along and each species helps the other. And that the humans aren’t in charge. That each species rules its world.”
“Breathe, buddy.”
Charlie laughed and shook his head. “This is too cool. I’ve never met a real author before. And you write my all-time favorite books.”
Nash figured he needed to chime in because of what he knew about Olivia’s background. “Just remember that authors use pen names to keep their identities secret.”
Charlie frowned. “Like Superman and Clark Kent?”
Olivia laughed, and Nash nodded. “Just the same. You can’t be going around telling people the secret.”
Charlie nodded. “Okay. I won’t tell anyone. But it’s so cool.”
Olivia smiled. “Along with my agent, you’re the only people in the world who know my secret.”
Charlie’s jaw dropped open. “Wow. That’s even cooler. We’re part of a secret club. Way cool. Right, Dad?”
Nash chuckled. “Way cool. That explains why Ella’s favorite toy is a dragon.”
Charlie held up one of his dragons. “Ella, do you think this blue one could be Arminson?”
Ella clapped her hands and then reached for the dragon. Charlie passed it over and took another one. The two were soon flying the toys around on the floor.
Nash made eye contact with Olivia. He raised his eyebrows and kept his voice soft. “Okay?”